“Here,” I said and handed him a card.
“How much do I owe you?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“But this was my idea and I’m supposed to be taking you out,” he countered, his brows furrowing.
“I like treating you. Let me, please?”
He made a sound of disbelief but said nothing more as he swiped the card. The game started, several balls releasing into the query. He eyed me and said softly, “Are you ready to be destroyed?”
I chuckled. “Are you a betting man?”
He considered his next move, his gaze growing distant. “Not with you. You’ll wager something dirty.”
“But that’s what makes it fun.” Something bounced inside of me, pure amusement filling every inch of my being. “Too scared I’ll win, huh?”
He shook his head, and we got the game going. He was right, he was fairly good. Far better than me and my measly score. He landed the balls in the highest point holes several times.
“I used to save the change I found digging in the couches of downtown hotels. I’d go to an arcade and play Skee-Ball. I got pretty good.” His eyes grew distant as if he were reliving the moment.
“So what you’re saying is you have an unfair advantage?”
Glancing at my terrible score, he said, “I guess I just have good eye-hand coordination.”
“Uh huh,” I said, sulking. “You should have taken that bet. I want to know what you would have put on the line.”
The flush said it all. He’d been willing to wager something dirty too. We played several more games and I had the pleasure of having my ass handed to me by my baby boy. As he won again, he tried to hide his victorious smile, but I could see he was enjoying himself.
We left the games behind and rode the go-karts in an ‘8’ several times, his expression brightening with exhilaration. I talked him into a game of miniature golf and to no surprise, he won that too. Truthfully, it was hard to concentrate on anything but him. He seemed enchanted with kids' games, his expression not unlike the one Amelia got when I’d taken her to a carnival over the summer. Simple pleasures were the best, weren’t they? I supposed he didn’t have the opportunity to do a lot of things like this. I made a silent promise to change that.
“There is one game I probably won’t win,” he said, pointing to a basketball hoop. “Not with my scrawny arms. You said you were into sports. You should try it.”
“Are you attempting to make me feel better because I’ve lost everything else?”
His cheeks mottled and he bit back his smile.
Chuckling, I pulled him in and kissed his forehead. “Don’t worry. I don’t have a fragile ego. I’m actually enjoying you kicking my butt, and I think you are too.”
“Ugh, I almost feel bad for taking you here. I didn’t realize how terrible at games you are.”
“Hey!” I teased good-naturedly. I said against his ear, “There are some games I’m good at.”
“Yeah?” he rasped. “What are those?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
His cheeks plumped even more, and I wanted to hug him until he popped.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
JAKE
My heart hammered against my ribcage as Gabriel, and I exited the haunted house together. After the go-carts, and excelling at arcade games, I was feeling adventurous. What was a cheesy haunted house? Besides people with makeup and masks, the attraction wasn’t all that spooky. It was just the jump scares and darkness that had hit my triggers.
“Are you okay?” Gabriel inquired, looking both concerned and amused.
“The next time I have an idea like that, please talk me out of it.” I stopped for a moment to catch my breath, my head swimming. A scream sounded and a large group of kids came barreling out of the haunted house, nearly trampling us.
